Engineering Stage Map¶
Purpose¶
This page shows the full Engineering Stage progression.
The map helps you understand where ES-100 fits and how later stages build on one another.
Complete stage sequence¶
ES-100 — Start Here
↓
ES-101 — Vision and Problem Definition
↓
ES-102 — Requirements and Constraints
↓
ES-103 — Planning and Work Breakdown
↓
ES-104 — Architecture
↓
ES-105 — Design and Technical Decisions
↓
ES-106 — Implementation Readiness
↓
ES-107 — AI-Assisted Implementation
↓
ES-108 — Code Review and Integration
↓
ES-109 — Testing and Verification
↓
ES-110 — Release Readiness
↓
ES-111 — Operational Readiness
↓
ES-112 — Governance and Oversight
↓
ES-113 — Trust, Transparency, and Review
↓
ES-114 — Stewardship and Continuous Improvement
How to read the map¶
The map is not a schedule.
It is an engineering dependency structure.
Earlier stages create the evidence that later stages need.
For example:
- requirements need a vision;
- architecture needs requirements and constraints;
- implementation needs architecture and design decisions;
- testing needs requirements and implementation evidence;
- release readiness needs test evidence and operational planning;
- governance needs architecture, evidence, and operating context;
- stewardship needs operational history.
Skipping stages weakens downstream engineering.
ES-100 in the map¶
ES-100 prepares the engineer to use the map.
It does not produce system-specific artifacts. It creates orientation.
That matters because the rest of the platform assumes the engineer understands:
- staged work;
- repository evidence;
- readiness gates;
- navigation conventions;
- AI verification responsibilities;
- the difference between activity and evidence.
Stage families¶
The stages can be understood as five families.
1. Orientation and framing¶
ES-100 — Start Here
ES-101 — Vision and Problem Definition
This family establishes direction.
2. Definition and planning¶
ES-102 — Requirements and Constraints
ES-103 — Planning and Work Breakdown
This family turns direction into bounded work.
3. Construction preparation and execution¶
ES-104 — Architecture
ES-105 — Design and Technical Decisions
ES-106 — Implementation Readiness
ES-107 — AI-Assisted Implementation
ES-108 — Code Review and Integration
This family moves from structure to implementation.
4. Verification and release¶
ES-109 — Testing and Verification
ES-110 — Release Readiness
ES-111 — Operational Readiness
This family determines whether the system is ready to operate.
5. Governance and stewardship¶
ES-112 — Governance and Oversight
ES-113 — Trust, Transparency, and Review
ES-114 — Stewardship and Continuous Improvement
This family keeps the system trustworthy after initial construction.
The stage boundary rule¶
Each stage should produce enough evidence for the next stage to begin responsibly.
A stage is not complete because the team feels finished.
A stage is complete when the readiness gate confirms that the necessary evidence exists and the next stage can proceed without avoidable ambiguity.
Common pitfall¶
Do not use the map as a rigid waterfall schedule.
The stages define engineering dependencies, not a ban on iteration.
Real projects iterate. When new evidence changes earlier assumptions, return to the relevant stage, update the evidence, and continue forward.
Engineering insight¶
Iteration is healthy when it leaves evidence.
Unrecorded iteration becomes confusion. Recorded iteration becomes engineering history.